Broken
by Texas Variety Katie-Bug
Summary: A curse was laid upon her before she was born, and now she was going to send her kingdom into ruin, but, even more than that, she was going to repeat the sins of her ancestors. Forbidden Romance AU. Sibling Chloe and Adrien.
1. Prolgue

Prologue

It was a time when beliefs of magic, unicorns and dragons, elves and fairies, still reigned supreme. People would look behind their backs, trying to make sure they were safe from the dark sorcery around them while praying for light magic to come over and bless them. The king ruled from the rushing rivers and windy moors to the west, to the dark forrest and barren snowy mountains to the north. To the east was a dark forest, shadows creeping out and threatening to touch the edges of the thick dirt pathways that made up the the city. Crudely built, but proudly maintained houses lined the streets, growing ever larger and ever grander, the streets slowly turning from dirt to rough stone, and from rough stone to smooth stone, slowly leading the way to the castle, which loomed over everything, a moat surrounding the outside, murky water appearing just waiting for an alligator to pop up and eat any trespassers. A wooden drawbridge was lowered, with knights proudly stationed at the entrance, keeping watch. A wall hid most of the castle from the view of the outside, except for two tall towers that peeked over, as if they demanded to be seen. Inside one of these towers was a room with a single window, bars covering the outside so no invaders could scale the outside and make their way in. Hints of ivy growing from the base of the tower reaching in and invading the room. Wooden floors were illuminated with the light of candles, that hung on iron candlesticks that were mounted to the wall. A large door stood open, the hints of a spiral staircase could be seen from the seat, a three legged, once modest wooden stool that was adorned with a red cushion, embroidered with golden thread, that offered a look to the world beyond the bars. That cushion is where he sat, the prince, holding a book in his hands, his steely blue eyes carefully reading over the pages of his kingdom's history for what was probably the hundredth time.

A light breeze filled the room and ruffled the pages, distracting him from the written words. He didn't mean to glance out the window, but upon doing so he spotted her, a girl with hair as black as night, walking along the streets, holding a basket in one hand filled with an assortment of greens. In her other hand she held onto a bouquet of wildflowers, before walking over to one of the houses, knocking and entering, disappearing from his view. She captivated him. The prince didn't hesitate. He calmly made his way down the spiral stairs, seeing a pair of servants he had tasked with guarding the tower to make sure no one disturbed him. "Fetch me a cloak. Not one of mine, but one of the nobles," he barked out before walking to his chambers.

"Prince Felix, what for, might I ask?" one of the servants inquired, attempting to keep pace with the prince, briskly walking down the hall, a single one his long, confident strides equalling two of the poor servant's.

"Do as I request." His stern voice startled the servants so the prince added on a hasty "Please." The servants hurried away to find a cloak for the prince. Felix went to his wardrobe and found the plainest clothes he had, which was black with no embroidery, though the expensive fabric still helped display his wealthy status. The servants returned moments after Felix had changed, carrying a dark green cloak. He placed it on, making sure the hood covered his face. "This will do. I'll be back by sunset." The servants were unable to stop him and were forced to watch as their prince left.

In the house a girl stood over a boiling cauldron, adding an assortment of herbs and flowers to the hot liquid, her master watchful. "You're talented, my dear, Bridgette." A man loomed over her, speaking to her with a hushed whisper in her ear. He looked into the cauldron, placing a hand on her shoulder. "A touch more of belladonna and this will be perfect."

"Yes sir." She plucked a few shiny, black berries off of a plant that sat in her basket, throwing them into the mix, causing the potion to turn from a lilac color to a deep purple.

"Very good. There should be enough potion in there for four vials." Bridgette went an grabbed four little glass vials from a shelf and placed the poured the potion into them. "Go deliver these to the doctor. He's the one that requested them." She did as she was told, placing the vials in her basket, tucking a loose stand of hair behind her ear and leaving the house, shutting the door behind her, only to immediately run into someone, send her sprawling on the ground.

"Ow." She looked up to see who she had run into, a man, dressed in black, a green hood covering his face, only a few strands of golden hair and icy blue eyes peeking out. She looked up at him and he didn't seem the least bit sorry that he caused her to fall over, a smirk dancing on his lips. "Excuse me," she said, sarcasm dripping with every word.

"If you insist." Bridgette felt her jaw drop and though the stranger extended her a hand to her her up she brushed it away, getting up from the ground on her own accord and dusting herself off, turning away from the man. "Wait," she felt his hand come forward and grab her wrist, turning her around so she faced him. The hood fell off, revealing his face. The smirk disappeared, being replaced by genuine remorse. "I'm sorry."

"Well, you're lucky I'm not going to turn you into a cat on the spot. I can do that, you know."

"I don't doubt it."

Bridgette turned and walked away, making her way down the the doctor's home. She heard footsteps behind her, but she chose to ignore him. If he was going to follow her she was going to have fun with him. She gave the potions to the doctor and turned to him. "So, why are you following me?"

"Because you're beautiful." The way he spoke, it was like that answer was supposed to be obvious.

Despite the blush rising on her cheeks she didn't miss a beat in responding. "Beautiful. You don't even know me."

"You're a beautiful sorceress that can turn me into a cat if you so desired."

"Hmm, I guess that makes you the rude stranger who would follow me off the edge of a cliff if you so desired."

He let out a small laugh. No one had ever spoken to Felix like this before. He enjoyed having someone talk back to him, not take everything he said seriously. "I would." He held out a hand introducing himself to her. "My name is Felix."

"Felix, huh? Like the prince?"

"The very same."

"Well I hope you don't expect me to curtsy." She took his hand in hers, laughing. "My name is Bridgette."

For months after that Felix would leave the castle and go meet the enchanting sorceress, bringing her pastries from the castle, or books that he could share with her. They would spend their afternoons at the edge of the village, in a sunny spot near the forest, leaning against a tree, and, eventually, one another. Neither of them noticed Bridgette's master following them out, watching their movements, clenching his teeth every time the two of them gazed lovingly into the other's eyes.

After a year the king decided that it was time Felix found a wife and decided to throw a ball, inviting every young woman in the kingdom. Felix knew who his heart belonged to though. His eyes would only be on one person at the dance.

"Isn't it wonderful, Master? The king is throwing a ball for Felix!" Bridgette was looking through her clothes, pulling out different dresses, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth every time she decided one wasn't suited to her tastes, getting through all her gowns. "I don't think any of these will do."

The sorcerer smiled, narrowing his eyes. "Don't worry about that, my dear. I have a spell that can help." With a few magic words the girl was dressed in a red ballgown, trimmed with black lace, red flowers adorning her hair and a pair of black glass slippers on her feet. Inside the sleeve she felt something cold pressing against her forearm. She lifted the sleeve and saw a shining silver dagger, red jewels encrusted on the handle.

"Wh-what is this?" She looked up at the man, trying to understand what was going on. "What are you-"

"You are going to the ball, and, at the stroke of midnight, you will plunge this knife into his heart."

She shook her head, rapidly, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "No! No, I refuse. I- I won't do it!"

"You have no choice. The spell I cast has complete control over you."

"No." The tears began to fall down her cheeks and she turned to the man that she had trusted. "Why?"

"Why?" He leaned in close, placing a kiss on her cheek, causing her to recoil. "I want you, my dear Bridgette. I want you for myself."

"I-I won't go. I refuse. I'm not going to the ball."

"You have no choice." The clock struck eight and Bridgette felt herself being pulled towards the castle. Every attempt she made to stop herself was met with a stronger opposition, pulling her along.

She reached the castle and was greeted with smiles. People looked at her, dressed exquisitely whispering to themselves "Is she a princess?" "Who is that woman?" No one was surprised when Prince Felix made his way to the beautiful woman, taking her in his arms, pulling her to the dance floor, waltzing with her the entire night.

"Bridgette," he spoke, only minutes remaining until midnight, "you know why my father is hosting the event, don't you?" Tears started to fill her eyes once again, tears Felix interpreted as tears of happiness. He began to kiss the tears away. "Marry me, Bridgette. Become the Queen of this country."

She shook her head side to side, the tears falling faster and faster, distorting her beautiful face. "No- no please."

"What's wrong? Bridgette, you can tell me."

"Please, Felix, run away from me and never look at me again. I- I-"

"Are you scared? Bridgette, you and I can do anything together. I love you."

"I love you too," Felix began to wipe away the tears from her face, "and that's the problem." The clock struck midnight and she took the dagger in her hand, stabbing him in the chest, plunging the silver knife deeper into him.

Her tears fell faster and faster and Felix suddenly understood. "This- wasn't your choice, was it?"

"Never."

He placed his hand behind her head and cradled it, using the last ounces of strength he had to kiss the girl, pouring everything he never got to say into this kiss, before collapsing, falling to the ground, closing his eyes, never opening them again.

Brigette was afraid. She killed the man she loved, so she did the only thing she could think of. She ran. She ran away from the ball, leaving one of the black glass slippers behind. She ran until she reached the edge of the forest, to where she had sat alongside Felix so many times, refusing to go back home and greet the man who forced her to kill her beloved.

That didn't stop him from seeking her out. He found her weeping under the tree, her head held in her hands. "Did you kill him?" She didn't answer. Her tears should be enough proof. "I know this is... upsetting, but why don't you marry me? Without an heir the king will be unable to hold the throne. I'll use my magic to make sure I become the new king, and you can be my Queen. We can be happy."

"I refuse," she choked out.

"Are you sure about that?"

"So be it." He turned and left, leaving Brigette. She would be discovered by the castle knights after only an hour. They held the shoe and saw she wore the matching one. They saw the bloodstains on her dress and knew she was the prince's assassin. She was locked away in the dungeon.

True to his word the sorcerer became King, using his magic to influence everyone around him to allow him to become so. After a month he made his way down to the dungeon, seeing the girl there. The tearful expression she wore last time they met was replaced by something darker. Her eyes, dark blue like the deepest ocean, were glaring at him. He could practically see the fire burning behind her gaze. "Bridgette, I think you've been in this dungeon long enough. Marry me and you can come out. I don't think you'd like the alternative."

"You forced me to kill Felix, the man I love, and now you want me to marry you? Never. I'd rather die."

"So be it." He turned away from her and looked off to where guards stood at the entrance to the prison. "Guards!" They hurried over to where the king stood outside the cell. "This woman refuses to repent for the crime of murdering Prince Felix. As such, I think it it only fair that she reaps what she sows. She will be executed immediately."

The guards nodded. "I'll go prepare the gallows."

"No. She's a sorceress. The gallows won't be enough. She will be burned at the stake just outside the gates of the palace where everyone can see her." The guards nodded and left to prepare the stake for Bridgette. "If only you had agreed to marry me, my dear."

"There are some fates that are worse than death."

After a few hours waiting in anxiety she was taken by the guards to where her punishment would be carried out. She was tied to a stake, people in the crowd rallying for her demise, familiar faces showing themselves in the crowd. None seemed to remember she was once the kind sorceress that lived among them. She looked up to the sky, hearing them all shouting "repent," or "burn the witch." She was going to die, but she would not let those who hurt her and her beloved go unpunished. The fire was lit below her and she could feel the flames begin to consume her. There wasn't much time.

"The next daughter born to the King's family line will bring despair to the kingdom." She declared, casting the spell with the last bit of strength she possessed before letting herself be taken by the fire. No one heard her spell. No one could imagine the tragedy that would befall the kingdom.

* * *

 _So this was initially written for my creative writing class but I decided to adapt it for a story I'm writing soon. It worked as a much nicer prologue than the one I had planned. It also works for the Twisted Fairytale Challenge on The Miraculous Challenges Forum, so this is also my submission for that. I hope y'all enjoyed this prologue. More of this story will be coming soon. Probably not until I finish Romeo and Marinette, but Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Let me know what y'all think and I'll see y'all soon!_


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One:

"And where do you think you're going?" Adrien looked up from the staircase he was currently hiding under, a cloak pulled over his head. A blonde girl, a year younger than him, was staring at him with icy blue eyes, her mouth in a tight line.

"Uh," Adrien dropped the hood and looked up and the girl, running his hand through his golden locks, giving her a sheepish smile, "hi, Chloe. I was just…" He didn't have a good excuse. Prince Adrien was known for escaping the castle and going on, what he called, adventures, and what Chloe called a colossal waste of time. He didn't want to continually look at Chloe's cross face so Adrien just hung his head and folded his hands. "There's a festival in the kingdom over, Coccinelle, and I really want to go." He had heard rumors about how the festivals that their neighbors threw were among the most beautiful and extravagant. He had wanted to try the sugary pastries and creamy custards. He wanted to see the lanterns that littered the sky like stars. Many of the servants had gone to visit the festival and they always came back starry-eyed, with tales of how beautiful it all was.

"The kingdom over? Coccinelle? Why don't you just ask father to throw one here?"

Adrien almost laughed. Father, throwing a festival in their own kingdom? "You know what he'd say, Chlo." Adrien puffed out his chest and pointed his nose in the air, and spoke with a lower voice. "Festivals are a frivolous affair that provide no support to us in the long run."

"So your solution is to run off and attend our enemies festival?"

"They aren't our enemy!" The three kingdoms, Papillon, his kingdom, Coccinelle, and Paon, had been at peace for the last two hundred years, and that didn't look like it was going to change any time soon.

"Then why does father keep building up the military?" Chloe sided with father on most things. She enjoyed the extravagant balls and the large ceremonies, but festivals benefitting the average citizen was a waste of time.

"Because he's paranoid!" Adrien let out a sigh, picturing the large army, clad with the insignia of his country, a purple and silver flag with a butterfly in the center. Butterflies were symbols of peace and grace, and while his father had grace down to an art the constant build up of army like there was an impending war was more than a bit unsettling. "I don't know why he's so focused on building up the military."

"He wants to keep us safe, Adrien, which is exactly why you shouldn't go to a festival in another kingdom." Chloe uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips, leaning placing her weight on one foot. "I'm not going to be able to stop you, am I?"

"Nino's going to come with me."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Like that makes me feel better. I don't get why you chose that nitwit to be your second in command."

Adrien sighed. He didn't want to get into this right now. If he didn't leave soon then he wouldn't be at the festival long enough to actually enjoy it. "I promise I'll stay safe while I'm there. Our own citizens don't know what either of us look like. Citizens from the neighboring kingdom would never guess I'm the crown prince."

She let out a sigh and began to rub her temples with her fingers. "Whatever. I won't tell father, but don't expect me to be okay with this."

"Thanks, Chloe! You're the best!" Adrien gave his sister a quick hug and darted out from his spot under the stairs, pulling a black hood over his head, running to the stables in a very un-royal way that his father would shudder at.

Nino was waiting in the stables. He had saddled up their horses, Wayzz, a gentle brown appaloosa that belonged to Nino, and Plagg, a spirited, somewhat lazy black stallion that belonged to Adrien. Nino was careful to find saddle blankets that didn't show the kingdom's crest, and saddles that were simple, just brown leather with no fancy embroideries. "Are you ready to go?"

Adrien spared the castle one last look then hopped on Plagg. "Yeah, head out."

The ride was only about an hour. They stayed on the path by the river, smiling as people waved at them from the ground, carrying baskets of flowers and herbs, until the sound of music started to fill the air. They crossed the border, and the music's volume continued to grow, only to be joined by the sound of people chatting, children laughing, merchants selling their wares at wooden stands. Adrien felt his excitement grow the louder the sounds became until, finally, the outskirts of the festival could be seen. Adrien hopped off of Plagg and tied him to a tree close to the stream and some fresh grass to graze, Nino doing the same with Wayzz, before pulling up the hood on his cloak and joining the crowd. He caught the scent of some delicious smell pastries and made his way over to where the smell came from, only to run into someone. He looked down to apologize, seeing a girl in a brown cloak, with midnight black hair and starry blue eyes. The hood fell off of her face when she fell and knights in armor started running towards her. "Your Highness!" they yelled. The girl panicked, grabbed Adrien's wrist, and made a run for it, losing herself in the crowd, pulling the cloak over her head, and running until they were both hidden in the alley of one of the streets. Adrien looked around, trying to find Nino, but couldn't see him among the chaos.

A knight peered into the alley and waved the others over. The girl jumped onto some wooden crates and climbed up until she was on the roof of a building, extending a hand so Adrien could join her up there. He took her hand and jumped up, knocking the crates over in the process, stalling the knights. The two ran across rooftops with onlookers pointing them out. Among the onlookers Adrien saw Nino, who was looking at him confused. Adrien shrugged and continued to follow the girl until they reached the edge of town, where she jumped off the roof of the last building, landing softly on the balls of her feet, before she toppled over, falling face fist into the grass. He extended her a hand and helped her up. "Keep going!" She grabbed his hand and sprang to her feet, running deeper into the forest.

They ran for what seemed like hours, but was probably closer to minutes. Both began to lose their breath, but pushed onward. "We're almost there!" she said, smiling at him, a bit of sweat beginning to form on her brow.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see! It's just past this line of trees!"

When they burst through through a clearing made itself known. Plush grass and wildflowers surrounded a clear pool fed by a bubbling spring. The girl collapsed onto the grass, lying on her back, catching her breath, Adrien joining her, laughing through the deep breaths. "So," he said after a moment of lying there, "who are you?"

She turned to face him, mischief written all over her face. "You're the one who followed me to my secret hiding spot."

"Only because you dragged me along."

"You bumped into me."

"You ran away!" They looked at each other, then began to laugh once again, dissolving into a fit of giggles.

"Well," the girl extended her hand to him, "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm the crown princess of this kingdom, hence the knights chasing us. What about you? I can tell you're not from around here. We don't really wear black, but that fabric is one of our exports, a high quality one, so I'm going to assume you're a noble, a Lord or Duke, from a neighboring kingdom?"

Adrien wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this was. He had escaped the castle and royalty for the day only to find himself, once again, with royalty. He held out his hand to her. "I'm Adrien Agreste, the crown prince of Papillon."

"Well, it is nice to meet you, Adrien Agreste, the crown prince of Papillon. I was under the impression that the heir to Papillon was a girl."

Adrien shrugged. "Maybe. That's my younger sister, Chloe. My father hasn't decided which one of us he wants to succeed him. Your kingdom was told the heir was a princess, but Paon was told that the heir was a prince."

"I wish I knew that sooner," she sighed, beginning to look at the clouds.

"Oh yeah, why's that?"

"I'm engaged to Prince Nathanael of Paon. He's nice but," she looked at Adrien, smiling, "he never would have run across the rooftops of Coccinelle with me."

"Well," Adrien leaned on his side, so he faced her, "if you need someone to run across rooftops with you, I always will."

This was the first time the two of them met, but it was far from the last time. Adrien's bad habit of sneaking out of the castle became routine. Nino always had Plagg saddled up and ready to go, sometimes accompanying his prince, and sometimes staying behind, offering up an excuse to King Gabriel or Princess Chloe, like hunting, or studying the trade habits of the citizens.

It was easy for Adrien and Marinette to fall in love. They were the only two in the world that could truly understand how the other felt. Neither really wanted to be next in line for the throne, and, while Adrien could throw it all away and give it to Chloe, Marinette had no one. She was going to unite Coccinelle and Paon. "Why don't you break off the engagement and marry me instead?" Adrien asked one evening. It was humid out, the sun had just set. They both had their feet cooling in the pool. Behind them, Plagg and Tikki, Marinette's red dun, stood tied up, grazing on grass. It was two years after that first festival.

"Marry you? Adrien," the thought of becoming engaged to the man she had fallen for brought a smile to her face, but she turned away from him. "You know I want to, but, breaking off the engagement, that could put us in bad terms with Paon. They're better off militaristically than we are."

"Will you at least think about it?" Adrien pleaded, looking at her with his emerald eyes. "I don't want to live without you, Marinette."

She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Adrien, a life without you is hardly a life worth living, even a royal one."

He placed a hand on the back of her head and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "If I asked you to would you run away with me?"

"What?" She was taken aback by the question. Run away with him?

"Would you run away with me? Would you be willing to leave the kingdoms, leave all of this behind? We could make a new life for ourselves."

She looked up at the stars. "My parents, your father and sister, they'd miss us, wouldn't they?"

"And search for us for years. We'd be living in shadows until we find somewhere out of the way."

"But we'd get to be together." She intertwined her fingers with his. "I don't know yet. I love you but, betraying everyone, my kingdom…"

He understood. He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Take all the time you need. I'll always wait for you. I'll always wait for you."

"I won't make you wait forever," she laughed. "I'll tell you my answer tomorrow. There's just a lot to think about." She pulled his hand up to her lips and passed a kiss on it. "I wouldn't fault you for changing your mind either, you know."

"I know you wouldn't." They sat there, holding one another, watching the fireflies come out of hiding.

* * *

 _Ha ha ha! Finally got this out! I know things are moving a little fast, and we're not seeing their relationship build really, but that's not what this story is about. For later chapters the two need to be rooted in their relationship. I hope you guys enjoyed. This is a really new genre for me. This is my first fantasy story. I'm experiencing a lot of firsts with this fandom... sci-fi with (which if you are on AO3 is currently undergoing rewrite and polishing so if you want to check that out that would be cool!) Let me know what y'all think! The reviews really help me know what's going good and what's not. Y'all's support means a lot to me! See y'all soon!_


	3. Chapter Two

_I'm so sorry for the long wait! I'm so so so so sorry! I've had the most crazy busy few months of my life! I was doing a play so I had daily rehearsals going on, and when that was done I had a work trip and I got back from that on Friday and now it's finals week and I've got my second final of the day in 45 minutes but I wanted to get this out there since I've kept y'all so long! I'm so sorry!_

* * *

Chapter Two:

Marinette hugged her arms close to her body as she paced the corridor. A carriage had been sent by Nathanael to take her to Paon that morning; guilt filled her stomach, causing butterflies to flutter rapidly. Images of her nights with Adrien danced in her mind. She didn't want to hurt Nathanael. He was kind, a nice friend to her, and she knew he would have given her a comfortable life where she would be able to live content, doing embroidery and hardly having to worry herself. But that life would be boring. She wanted excitement, adventure. She wanted to have her Adrien run across rooftops with her. She wanted to lie down in the flowers and spend eternity looking at the stars with him. In that moment, she knew her decision was made. She couldn't marry a man when she was in love with someone else. It wasn't fair to Nathanael, it wasn't fair to Adrien, it wasn't fair to either of their kingdoms. It wasn't fair to her.

Getting through that meeting with Nathanael was the hardest thing she ever had to do. Of course she wasn't going to be able to just break off the engagement. That would send everything into ruin. She had to just keep a smile on her face. "Is everything alright, Marinette?" Her companion asked.

She could have responded that she was plotting how to successfully run away so she didn't have to hurt him. She could have responded that she was in love with someone else. She could have told him that she was going to break off their engagement so she could be with another man. Instead she just gave him a smile and said, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You seem distracted."

That was surprising. She thought she was doing a good job pretending everything was going well. She thought that she was successful in her endeavors. "Oh really," she replied, her voice raising in pitch and tightening. "What makes you say that?"

"You haven't touched your needlework."

Over the past few years she had been working on an elaborate tapestry that would hang in their chamber once they were married. It was a scene depicting ladybugs visiting red flowers on a beautiful summer day. She was almost done with the scene. There were only a few clouds left to add to the sky. Once it was done it was going to be hung in the room, waiting for them on their wedding day. It was intended to be a gift for Nathanael from herself using the skills she was most proud of. She hadn't touched it.

"Oh," she grasped for something, anything to save her from the precarious situation she was in. In that moment, she found it. "Well, I noticed you hadn't touched your paint brush. I wanted to wait for you to start."

"Is that what was holding you back, my love? Don't worry about my paintbrush. I want to you continue working on your tapestry. I enjoy watching you work." Marinette raised a brow, questioning why he wasn't painting, but not wanting to ask outright. As a princess she was supposed to follow the word of her betrothed. She was just lucky he was a kind man. "You're wondering why I"m not painting, aren't you?"

"I was a bit curious."

"Well, I finished my painting. Do you want to see?"

She really should have said no. She should have turned down his offer and said she would have seen the painting on their wedding day, but she said yes. She agreed. She decided to see the painting, knowing that she wasn't going to make it to the wedding. "I'd love to."

Nathanael placed his hands over her eyes, gently, and led her down the halls, until they reached the chamber. "Are you ready?" He asked, doing very little to hide the sweet and humble excitement in his voice.

"I am."

"Alright. Open your eyes."

She did, and before her was an elaborate painting, almost mural, depicting the two of them looking into one another's eyes lovingly. They were holding their hands together, and the background was filled with a festival, presumably celebrating their marriage and the union of their kingdoms. Marinette's eyes filled with tears. "Do you really like it that much?" Nathanael asked.

She nodded. "Yes. It's beautiful." She loved the painting, and truly thought it was beautiful, but that wasn't the reason she was crying. She cried knowing that the scene in front of her would never happen. She knew she was going to break his heart. "I love it."

He took one of her hands in his and kissed the top of her knuckles softly. "I'm glad." He gently dropped her hand and gave her one of the most sincere smiles she had ever seen. "I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

The guilt that gripped her heart was iron hot. She didn't know what she ought to do, so she did the only thing she could think of. She fainted.

When she felt herself begin to fade into consciousness again she heard voices talking over her. They were fuzzy at first, but she began to piece together words. "-over excited about marrying the prince. It's so romantic! I bet she can't wait to marry the prince!"

"Yeah."

"Oh I can't wait for the wedding! I got to see her dress. It's being worked on here in the palace! It's absolutely gorgeous. I think the fabric was imported from her country and being sewn by our finest seamstresses! It's supposedly symbolic for uniting the two countries!"

"Yeah."

"Do you think she's going to be okay? Maybe I should get her some more water. Some more steam in the room might help her breathing. I could find more extracts to mix in-"

"She's waking up, Rose."

"Oh!" Marinette opened her eyes slowly, blinking away the blurriness and saw two women, one, a small girl with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes, frantically pushing closer to the young woman to get a better look. The other stood back, quietly doing her duties, her long black hair had some violets woven into the strands. Her large brown eyes kept a watchful gaze on Marinette. "Your Highness! Are you feeling better? You got a bit over excited when speaking with Prince Nathanael!"

The other woman came and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Calm down, Rose. She needs her rest."

"Oh! Sorry, Juleka, you're right! We'll go tell the prince you're awake and he can arrange a carriage to take you back to Coccinelle!" The two made their way to the door and each gave an elegant curtsy before leaving. "It was nice to meet you, Your Highness!"

Marinette turned over and buried her face into the pillow she was resting on, trying to keep the tears from falling. She wasn't going to be the princess-to-be of Paon much longer.

It was another week before she was allowed to leave her castle after her fainting spell but she managed it and went to meet Adrien. She hoped he would still be waiting for her after a week of not seeing him. She couldn't hold back her smile when she saw him there, soaking himself in the pond under the light of the moon and stars being filtered through the trees. "Adrien?"

He turned around and smiled at her. Each of those stars shining down on him found their way into his smile. "Marinette." He got out of the pond and ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"I was worried you decided you didn't want to see me again after I asked you to run away."

She shook her head and buried it into his strong chest. "Never. Actually, I decided I'd follow you anywhere. Let's run away, Adrien. You and I will take the world together."

Adrien kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad to hear it. I'll go back to my kingdom tonight and pack away the necessities for us both. My companion Nino will see us out. He says he knows where we can run away to. It's far away from here, away from our kingdoms, where no one will recognize us, and, more importantly, where no one will find us."

Marinette looked up and kissed him on the lips, throwing her arms around him. "That's wonderful!"

"We'll have to stage a kidnapping, but we'll make it look like it was from within our own kingdoms to prevent war."

She nodded. "I like the sound of that." She took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder, back to the direction of her kingdom, but refusing to loosen her grip on Adrien. "When do we go."

"Three days. We'll be ready to go in three days."

"I can't wait."

The hunter bowed low to the girl who sat on the throne. The girl crossed her legs and smiled down at the man below her. Her elbow rested on the padded armrest of the elegant chair, and she rested her cheek on her knuckles. She smiled down at him, showing that he was in her good graces. "So, what did you find out about my brother?"

"For the last year, at least, he has been sneaking off to Coccinelle to meet some girl in the woods. It seems like he has fallen in love with her, and he plans to leave the kingdom soon. He will fake his own kidnapping to escape."

Chloe licked her lips and pondered what the man had said. "And who is this girl he's sneaking off to see?"

"Princess Marinette, the heir to the Coccinelle throne."

Chloe laughed, the high pitched tone piercing through the near empty throne room, bouncing off the walls. "Oh, father will love to hear about this." She stepped off of her throne and came over to the bowed man and placed his chin in her hands. "You did well, Kim."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

* * *

 _Okay, so now we're getting into the meat and bones of this story. As I mentioned before this story isn't long and I'm actually in the process of plotting a (hopefully) longer story for everyone! How does serial killer AU sound? Work in progress but could be fun. Well let me know what y'al think of the chapter and, once again, I'm SO sorry for the wait!_


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

"So, you're really doing this, huh?" Nino asked Adrien, leaning against one of the stalls lined up in the stable. "I've got to admit at first I thought you were bluffing, but if you're serious about this then Alya will be waiting."

"Where are you going to take us?"

Nino rolled his shoulders back and looked around, making sure the guards were not paying attention to what they were saying. "It's a small country just beyond the sea. I told you my family was from the country Tortue, right? Well Alya is from the neighboring kingdom, Renard. They have had very few relations with Papillon or Coccinelle, agressive or otherwise, so there would be very little reason to suspect you'd be hiding there. Frankly, they're so small I doubt your father acknowledges their existence."

"Small, huh?" Adrien grabbed a brush and began to brush down Plagg, removing the dirt and dust that had accumulated from the ride to and from Coccinelle the day before. "Would Marinette and I be able to make a life there?"

Nino nodded. "Yeah. Alya owns a little shop with an extra room. She said Marinette is free to work there as a seamstress and the two of you are welcome to live in the spare room until you're able to provide for yourself. How does that sound?"

Adrien found himself suppressing a sigh. Honestly, it sounded great. Getting to be with Marinette, away from all the social pressure, a perfect world created for just the two of them… it sounded wonderful. "I owe you my life for this, Nino. I can't believe you found out this much for us."

"Well it's not like the guards are constantly watching me. I'm free to move around." Nino's voice became quiet, and sentimentality began to overtake his tone. "I'm thinking when you're gone, I'll just move to Renard too. Honestly after you leave there will be nothing holding me here anymore."

"Why did you come to Papillon in the first place?"

"I needed a job. My family had no money and I wasn't able to afford to continue living there. It was pure luck that I got hired on, really."

Adrien remembered the day Nino got hired on. Two years ago he had snuck out of the palace, again, and was wandering around through the city's market. When he saw a beggar on the street he placed a gold coin in their cup, and when he saw an elderly woman struggling to carry items he offered his assistance. These were all things his mother taught him to do long ago. He had just dropped a golden coin into a beggar man's cup when he heard yelling coming from down the street. He ran over to see the commotion when he saw a boy his age running away from an angry looking baker swinging a wooden rolling pin. The boy ran into Adrien and fell onto the ground, but continued to hold the loaf of bread close to his chest. The baker, a large man with curly red hair and a matching beard, picked the boy up with one hand and held the rolling pin to his neck. "Thank ya' sir for stoppin' this 'ere delinquent."

The boy cast him a worried look and Adrien sighed. He could see the cheeks of him begin to sink in. His eyes had large bags underneath them, and blood was beginning to stain the thin fabric on his pants. Despite this, Adrien could see there was a bit of fire in his eyes, and the potential for strength in his body. "Is this the only thing he stole?" Adrien asked the baker, attempting to use a calm tone of voice to soothe the man.

"The only thing he stole from me. I've 'eard some-of the others though. Their food stands get pillaged erryday by this lad. Now I've finally got 'im and I'm gonna turn 'im into the guards."

The boy attempted to shake his head, but the baker's grip was tight. "Please- ow! I didn't do any of those things. Really the only thing I stole was this bread. I haven't eaten in days!"

Adrien grabbed a brown cloth sack that was tied on his belt, just behind the hilt of his sword. He threw the sack at the man's feet, a few of the gold pieces falling to the ground. "Will that cover the load of bread?"

The baker dropped the boy and his dignity, dropping to his hands and feet to scoop up the gold. "Yessir, that'll do it."

"Good. Go on your way and leave the boy to me." The baker nodded and made a hasty retreat, leaving the boy to look at Adrien with a semblance of fear in his eyes. "You can eat the bread, you know?"

He didn't need a second invitation. Without hesitation he ripped into the bread and began to stuff pieces into his mouth. Adrien watched the boy eat, only to see him rip off a piece of the bread and hand it to Adrien. "Thanks for saving me, man. That was really cool of you."

"Do you make robbing people a habit?" Adrien asked, taking the bread from him.

"No way. Like I said, that was the first time I stole anything. I was working as a farmhand a few kilometers away when a fire broke out and burned the farm down. I came here hoping to find a job but no one would hire me. The last time I ate something that wasn't grass was the night before the fire."

Normally Adrien would take a moment to check the validity of these claims, but the sincerity in the boy's eyes, and the way he offered him a bit of his bread, Adrien felt like he didn't need any more proof. "What's your name?"

"It's Nino."

"And what did you do on that farm?"

"I tended to the animals."

"Can you take care of horses?"

Nino nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"I think I can get you a job at my home."

"Really? That's amazing!" Nino stood up and attempted to dust off his filthy tunic. "Where is it at? Let's go!" Adrien pointed in the direction of the castle. "Is it beyond the palace?"

Adrien shook his head. "No, it is the palace." He then held out a hand for a handshake. "I'm Adrien, Prince of Papillon."

Nino let out a laugh when the two finished reminiscing. "Man, that was the luckiest day of my life. I can't believe something like that happened to me. Now to think my best friend is a freaking prince."

Adrien held up a fist and Nino knocked his knuckled against them. "Not for much longer." Adrien looked at the palace. "How do you think we should stage my kidnapping? I don't want to cause a war, and I don't want to fake my own death."

"What if you go for a hunt and never return?" Nino offered.

"That sounds like a great idea."

* * *

Chloe stood with her back against the wall of the stable. She could heard everything the two were saying. Her brother was going to stage his own disappearance in order to run away with some foreign girl? He had to be joking. There had to be some way to prevent him from leaving.

There was a legend that long ago there was a sorcerer who used magic to take the throne of Papillon. Perhaps it was possible for her tp find someone who could use magic to help her out in this situation. She walked back to the palace and summoned her loyal servant, Kim.

He arrived quickly and bowed low to his princess. "What can I do for you, Your Highness?"

"I want you to find me the most powerful sorcerer you can and bring them to the palace by midnight. Money is no object. There is a plot and I need to protect the kingdom." She didn't say she needed to protect the kingdom from her brother leaving.

"Yes, Your Highness." Kim turned away and prepared to look for someone powerful to bring over. Chloe liked Kim. His loyalty to her was impressive, to say the least. If everyone could serve their superiors like he did then the kingdom would be a much better place. She sat on her throne, crossed her legs, and waited.

* * *

 _Alright, another chapter out, yay! I'm hoping I can get this story done soon. I'm excited to work on other projects. Summer classes start tomorrow and I'm taking on quite a lot this summer so we'll see how everything continues. Luckily this session is just a single online session that lasts until May 29th. The 8am's start June 4th, so we'll see if I can get everything done with this story before then. Let me know what y'all think! See y'all soon!_


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